What's up with that?
by Naseka
Summary: A slightly embarrassing day told from Clarisse's P.O.V. Another one of my oneshot nonsense stories.


The day started off so cheerfully. It was sunny outside, the birds were singing in the trees. Everyone in the palace smiled at me as I walked past them. And then it started to go downhill.

Joseph came up to me and said, "Clarisse, after careful consideration, I have decided to ask you the one question that's been plaguing my mind for the past thirty years."

I straightened up my jacket and nodded for him to continue, "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" I asked.

"Why do you always pull the two sides of your jacket together?"

I found myself doing it again, "I do not."

"You just did it again! You're even doing it now!"

"I am not!"

I was doing it, unintentionally might I add?

"Do you do it because you're nervous or because you don't think it looks neat enough or you're cold or what? Give me some clue!"

"I've never noticed it before..."

"Well I notice it all the time. You did it when you proposed to me, you do it during interviews…"

"I guess it must just be a force of habit."

"A very strange force of habit. I've never seen anything like it."

"Will you please give it a rest?"

He threw his hands up and walked away. I don't understand why he'd never mentioned it before. I was totally unaware that I had a personal habit.

* * *

I headed towards Mia's office because I had to go over some things with her, as she still requires some assistance, even after having been queen for a whole year. 

And guess who I bumped into on the way there? Who else, but Charlotte.

"Good morning, Your Majesty, are you on your way to see queen Amelia?"

"Why, yes actually."

"Oh, good, then you can give her these papers."

I straightened up my jacket before taking the papers from her arms, "Thankyou Charlotte."

She looked at me for a minute and said, "May I ask you a personal question?"

"I don't know, it depends on what it is."

"I just want to know why you always straighten up your jacket like that."

"I…don't know Charlotte, now if you'll excuse me I have some work to do."

* * *

I finally reached Mia's office after about three other people stopped me in order to ask "what the deal" was with my jacket. I entered with an exhausted expression on my face and greeted Mia, "Hello darling." 

She looked up and smiled at me, "Hey Grandma."

I straightened my jacket and sat down next to her.

"Grandma, can I ask you something?"

"What is it darling?"

"Why do you always do that?"

I sighed, "Do what?"

"That thing with your jacket."

"I have said this a hundred times today, I do not have a 'thing' that I do with my jacket!"

I found my hands reaching up to straighten it again, but managed to stop myself.

"You were going to do it just then, weren't you?"

"No, I…I…"

"You were! What is up with that? Is it a nervous twitch or something?"

"Can we please talk about the subject at hand?"

"Fiiine…"

* * *

Things didn't get any better after the meeting with Mia. Seven more people came up to me and asked me what was "up" with my always re-arranging my jacket. I just told them I hadn't noticed. I was seriously wondering why today of all days, people were asking about it. It just made no sense. Didn't they have anything better to do? 

When the day FINALLY ended, I walked to my suite, then dropped onto the sofa and leant against Joseph. I flicked off my shoes and rested my head on his chest, "I've just had the worst day. Everyone kept asking me why I'm always fixing up my jacket."

He started giggling, so I lifted my head and leveled it with his, "What's so funny?"

He sat there smiling.

"What is it? Do you know why everybody keeps asking me about it?"

He laughed out loudly.

"You do know! Why?"

"Have you watched GTV lately?"

"Queens don't watch teenage television programs."

"You're not the queen anymore!"

"That's not the point! What about this so called GTV?"

"Well, they have a video clip on about you. They use footage of you from interviews straightening up your jacket and play the 'hot potato' song in the background."

"What? Who would do such a thing?"

"The television station. They do similar things to the presidents, the prime ministers and some of the monarchs of the world."

"What is it all in aid of?"

"It's just for fun. I wouldn't worry about it. It should die down in about a week or so."

"I don't know if I can handle a whole week of 'oh, what's the deal with the jacket thing, Your Majesty?' It's annoying enough already as it is."

"So what is the real deal with it?"

"I don't know."

I straightened it up again and stared at Joseph in the eye and we knew what each other was thinking:

"Nervousness."

* * *

Has anybody else noticed that Julie Andrews is ALWAYS straightening up her jacket? She does it in the movies and during interviews…I don't really know why she does it, I just wanted the world to know that I've noticed it! 


End file.
